Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts (if using) with a spoon or spatula. The mixture will be fairly thick.

Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pie crust.

Bake
for 45-60 minutes until the top is golden in color evenly across the
top and a knife inserted halfway between the edges and the center comes
out clean. It's ok for the pie to still be slightly gooey in the center.

Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the butter into the dry ingredients.

With
a fork, toss the butter and flour mixture until the butter pieces are
all evenly coated with flour. Don't break down the butter pieces in this
step, just lightly toss until they are coated with flour.

Spoon
the sour cream into the bowl. Using the same fork, mix the sour cream
into the butter/flour mixture by pressing the fork down into the sour
cream in order to mash the large clumps of sour cream into the flour and
butter. A commenter suggested using a pastry blender which will help
incorporate the sour cream a bit better. The sour cream won't mix in
like a traditional pie crust with ice water. But take care not to
overwork the dough trying to get the sour cream mixed in - if the butter
pieces get too small and overprocessed, the crust will be tough.

After
a few turns with the fork, it is easiest to use your hands to pull the
dough together. It will look a bit shaggy but as you press it together
(quickly and firmly so the the butter pieces don't melt), it should
start to form a cohesive ball.

If it still seems overly dry, add a teaspoon or so of sour cream at a time until it comes together.

It's
ok if there are still a few dry spots or cracks in the dough. The
mixture should not be overly wet or sticky. At the same time, it
shouldn't be falling apart either. It should hold together when pressed
(see the pictures below). Many of you have had to add quite a bit more
sour cream. That's ok as long as the crust isn't overly saturated (then
it will be dense and gummy). Much of that depends on how you measure
flour - if you pack the flour into your measuring cup, you'll obviously
need more sour cream (try to measure the flour with a light hand).

At
this point the dough can be rolled out on a lightly floured counter or
it can also be pressed into a flat disc and wrapped in plastic to be
refrigerated for 1-2 days or frozen for up to a month.

To
roll out, lightly flour your countertop and using firm, even strokes,
roll from the center outward, turning the dough a quarter turn every few
strokes. The less you mess with the dough the better - even rolling -
so try not to overwork it. Roll it out to a thin crust as quickly as
possible.

Roll
the dough over the rolling pin and unroll it onto the pie plate. Gently
lift up the edges of the pie crust and settle it into the bottom of the
pie plate without pressing or smushing.

Trim
the edges to within 1/4-inch. Fold the short overhang underneath the
top edge of the pie plate and crimp all the way around.

Cover
with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes before using. To blind
bake (prebake the pie crust), line the refrigerated crust with foil and
fill with dry beans or pie weights. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25
minutes. Gently remove the foil and beans/weights and return to the oven
to bake for another 10-12 minutes until nicely golden.

In
the bowl of your mixer, cream butter, brown sugar and peanut butter on
medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about two minutes. Add the egg
and vanilla, beating on low until combined. Mix in the flour mixture on
low speed until combined.

Drop
by large scoopfuls (I used about 1/4 cup) on a baking sheet, about 3
inches apart. Flatten slightly with the palm of your hand. Bake for
about 12-15 minutes, until edges are golden brown and tops are flat and
crackled. Remove from oven and let cool on pan for about 5 minutes
before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Prepare
frosting: In the bowl of your mixer, beat butter, peanut butter and
vanilla on medium speed until smooth. With the mixer on low, slowly add
powdered sugar and cocoa powder, mixing on low until just combined.
Add water, beating on low until combined. Increase speed to high and
beat for a minute, until light and fluffy. If frosting is too thick,
add more water, one Tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is
reached. Top with chopped Butterfinger.

I found these cute cookies on Pinterest and since I already had the cutouts, I anxiously tried them out for a Halloween Party we were asked to bring a treat too. They tasted better the next day. The first day the brownie cookie was crunchy and on the second day the frosting had softened the brownie cookie to be soft and chewy, so I guess it depends on how you like your cookies--soft or crunchy. Either way the brownie cookies held their shape and had a brownie flavor. Some of my kids didn't love the cream cheese frosting, so I may change that in the future....

Mix together the flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder in bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar together. Followed by the eggs and vanilla.

Gradually add the dry flour mixture into the wet mixture. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least one hour.(Or don't...I needed some more cookies for the party and made one batch I didn't refrigerate for the hour, and it still turned out fine)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Roll out the cookie dough on floured counter to 1/4 inch thick. Use
cookie dough cutters to cut into desired shapes: cut out cookies using
pumpkin or skull outline side of cutter. Then, use the other side of the
cutter to create skull or pumpkin faces in half of the cookies.

Bake on a lined baking sheet for 9 minutes or until the edges are
firm and the centers are slightly soft and puffed. Transfer to a cooling
rack.

Meanwhile, make the filling: In a small bowl, whisk together the
cream cheese, butter, confectioner’s sugar, milk and vanilla until
smooth and fluffy. Add food coloring and mix thoroughly. Spread about 1
tablespoon filling on each non-face cookie and top with a cut-out
cookie.